In the field of xerography, a copy of an original is produced by reflecting light from the original onto an electrostatically charged photoconductive surface. As a result of this exposure, that portion of the surface exposed to light reflected from the original will be discharged and a charged image will remain on the photoconductive surface that represents the text or pattern contained on the original from which light was not reflected. The charged image is then developed by placing toner of opposite charge onto the photoconductive surface. The developed image is transferred to a plain sheet of paper and the toner transferred onto the sheet is fused by heat or pressure. Generally, the toner comes from a development powder or developer which is made of two components, carrier particles and toner particles. The carrier particles are normally iron particles that are substantially larger than the toner particles. The toner particles are held to the carrier particles by an electrostatic charge. The electrostatic charge that keeps the toner particle attracted to the carrier particle is a triboelectric charge and is created when the particles are rubbed against one another.
As a development powder is brought into contact with the imaged photoconductive surface, the toner is attracted away from the charged carrier particles by the higher charge of the image relative to the carrier particles. After the toned image is conveyed past the development station, it is attracted to the sheet of paper by a charge produced by a device such as a corona, which charge is opposite to that of the toner. As the photoconductor continues past the transfer station, it is cleaned by a device such as a cleaning brush. As the photoconductor approaches the cleaning brush it still has thereon toner that was not transferred onto the sheet of paper and residual charges. Various devices have been supplied for removing the toner from the surface of the photoconductor and rendering such photoconductor neutral in charge. Although great emphasis in the art has been applied to removing the residual toner, little emphasis has been placed on removing the residual charge that remains on the photoconductor. One method of removing residual toner is by use of a device that produces ionized air as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,668,008. Another method is the use of a fibrous brush that contacts the surface of the photoconductor to physically remove residual toner. An example of such a device is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,123,154. Although these structures worked well for removing toner particles, it was found that they were not efficient in removing the residual charge remaining after the photoconductor subsequent to the transfer operation, particularly in a reversal development process. A reversal development process is one in which the image area of a photoconductor is discharged rather than the background and toner is attracted to the image area by differences in potential.